Alabama solar installation & market data
The Alabama solar market at a glance.
Alabama's solar market has 11 tracked installations as of January 1, 2024. The median residential system cost — per watt over the trailing twelve months, and 0.00% of owner-occupied homes have gone solar. Recent growth cannot be measured yet because the data runs through January 1, 2024, 0 installers are active, and 9.1% of new residential systems include a battery.
Alabama's SolarDNA Market Score: 29 out of 100.
Alabama scores 29 out of 100 on SolarDNA's Market Score, a 0-to-100 scale benchmarked against every other state market. That is higher than 12% of U.S. states. Grade D (Fair).
The score combines 5 subscores, each computed from observed market data:
- Velocity (50): trailing-12-month growth in solar added versus the prior twelve months, so accelerating markets score higher.
- Cost (50): median installed $/W relative to the national median (a cheaper market scores higher).
- Incentives (3): net-metering coverage, RECs a new system can earn, state tax credit, rebate program and tax exemptions (components listed below).
- Resource (30): annual solar irradiance, so the same system produces more where this score is high.
- Depth (0): proven demand: how many systems are already installed, with a bonus for markets that show adoption without being saturated.
Federal: Federal residential credit (25D) ended for systems placed in service after Dec 31, 2025. Third-party-owned systems can still use the commercial credit (48E) through 2027 under construction-start rules.
State-level averages hide wide variation. Here's how to go deeper in the app:
- 1Narrow to a zip codeZip metrics give a far more accurate picture of the exact neighborhoods you are considering.
- 2Apply filtersFilter by score, growth, $/W, adoption and permits to reach the markets that actually match your model.
- 3Benchmark the installersSee who already wins there, how fast they are growing, and what they charge per watt.
How SolarDNA defines these metrics
Solar systems
Solar systems is the market-size figure: the systems utilities report on their lines, plus an estimate (sized from reported capacity) for systems outside net metering. It is current for every state.
How SolarDNA calculates solar systems →Tracked installations
Tracked installations are the individual residential, commercial and utility-scale systems SolarDNA holds a record for. SolarDNA de-duplicates the same system across records. Pricing, installers, equipment and every zip-level figure come from these records.
How SolarDNA calculates tracked installations →Median installed cost
Median installed cost is the middle price per watt (DC) that homeowners paid for a residential system in the trailing twelve months, before incentives. Quartiles show the spread.
How SolarDNA calculates median installed cost →Adoption rate
Adoption rate is the share of owner-occupied homes with a residential solar system. It measures how saturated a market is, not how fast it is growing.
How SolarDNA calculates adoption rate →12-month growth
For a state, growth compares the residential solar capacity added in the trailing twelve months with the twelve months before, from utility-reported totals with one-off reporting corrections smoothed out. For cities and zip codes it compares tracked installations.
How SolarDNA calculates 12-month growth →Battery share
Battery share is the portion of a state's solar customers whose system includes a battery, as reported by utilities.
How SolarDNA calculates battery share →Permits
Permits count the solar building permits filed in the last twelve months. They lead installations by several months, which makes them the earliest read on demand.
How SolarDNA calculates permits →Market Score
SolarDNA's Market Score grades each market from 0 to 100 on solar sales potential, weighing velocity, cost, incentives, solar resource and installer depth. Markets are benchmarked against every other market in the country, and the letter grade is set on a curve: A is the top 10% of markets, C the middle 40%, F the bottom 10%.
How SolarDNA calculates market score →See what a specific Alabama zip code looks like
Drop in any Alabama zip code and SolarDNA opens its market card: score, installs, median $/W, growth and permits, benchmarked against the state.
Dive deeper into the Alabama market
Pricing & economics
Installed $/W, quartiles, system sizes and simple payback.
Growth & adoption
Installs by year, adoption, TAM penetration and battery attach.
Installers
The league table: volume, momentum, system size and pricing per installer.
- •Who installs the most in Alabama?
- •Which installers are growing fastest?
- •What do they charge per watt?
Utilities & incentives
Retail rates by utility, net metering, SREC value and the planned utility pipeline.
- •What are electricity rates in Alabama?
- •Which utilities offer net metering?
- •How big is the utility-scale pipeline?
What solar costs in Alabama
Residential systems, trailing twelve months
How fast Alabama is going solar
Data runs through January 1, 2024; trailing-12-month growth is not reported until fresher records land
Top installers in Alabama
Ranked by installations in this state
| # | Installer | Installs | 12-mo | Avg kW | $/W |
|---|
Top zip markets in Alabama
Ranked by installations · click for the zip market
| Zip | Installs | $/W | Growth | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35223 Birmingham | 1 | $8.83 | — | 31.5 F |
| 35756 Madison | 1 | $7.35 | — | 35.3 D |
| 36609 Mobile | 1 | $7.91 | — | 31.5 F |
Utilities and retail rates
Implied residential rate per utility
| Utility | Type | Res. customers | ¢/kWh | Net metering |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama Power Co | Investor Owned | 1,332,911 | 16.8 | — |
| City of Huntsville - (AL) | Municipal | 197,537 | 11.4 | — |
| Baldwin County El Member Corp | Cooperative | 83,005 | 13.9 | — |
| Adjustment 2024 | 61,619 | 14.4 | ✓ | |
| City of Athens - (AL) | Municipal | 50,985 | 12.2 | — |
| Foley Board of Utilities | Municipal | 50,954 | 13.5 | ✓ |
| Central Alabama Electric Coop | Cooperative | 45,036 | 16.6 | ✓ |
| City of Florence - (AL) | Municipal | 41,594 | 11.6 | — |
Other solar markets in Alabama
Three ways to slice Alabama's 11 installations
See how the market splits by sector, by battery attach and by installer, updated with every refresh.
See all breakdownsWhen demand peaks in Alabama
Not enough complete years of monthly data to profile seasonality yet.
See the monthly trendQuick answers about Alabama's market
🛡 Why trust SolarDNA data?
How many solar installations are there in Alabama?
How much does solar cost in Alabama?
Is the Alabama solar market growing?
What is the solar adoption rate in Alabama?
Is Alabama a good market for solar sales?
How many solar installers work in Alabama?
How many solar permits were filed in Alabama?
How current is Alabama's solar data?
There's a lot more inside the SolarDNA app.
- ◇Zip and city market pages
- ◇Installer league tables
- ◇Territory builder
- ◇Solarizer deal estimates
- ◇Permit activity where reported
- ◇Export the data